Labour and Primary Schools Religious Education

[martan]

Well, what do you make of this?

Selected Quotes

More than 90 per cent of primary schools are run by the Catholic Church, and many of the others are run by other denominations. Yet, only two in five Irish people attend mass once a week, and only one in four of under-35s do so.

I favour a system of primary schools along the lines of Community Schools at second level, where all religious groups are accommodated.

Churches should move out of involvement in school management, and focus on the formation and education of children in their faith.

But religious education and the imparting of moral and social values should still be part of school life. In a fast moving world, our children need these anchors, and the opportunity to talk about their lives in those terms.

Well, what do you make of this?

[campbeca]

Not a bad document. The 2nd last paragraph is a cop-out to a certain extent.
I think natural wastage of the catholic church will do the job for us, i'm not spoiling for a fight on this one.
Glad to see labour are content to let FG mop up the traditional vote in Ireland and focus on getting a bit of racism going and getting the Trinity College sort of vote with policies like this

[ocean]

It's amazing that this is the first time a party leader has made such a pronouncement. It's very welcome. I'm sick of the Catholic Church controlling schools, especially when most people don't practise their religion any more.

I'd actually go further than Labour and ask for a complete end to the involvement of churches in the education system.

[Rapairi]

Glad to see labour are content to let FG mop up the traditional vote in Ireland and focus on getting a bit of racism going and getting the Trinity College sort of vote with policies like this

I don't think Labour are going to get the "traditional" vote one way or the other.

I think (apart from being a sensible idea in the first place) that this would appeal to voters (mainly young parents) in the commuter belt????

[flakie]

I suspect it would be popular with anyone who has children of that age and who believes (against all odds) that schooling and education should be relevant and inclusive, or at least not totally inane and exclusive.

[Gladstone]

I think we should take religon out of schools totally and leave it to churches and parents it's a waste of school time, everyone when I was in school hated it, and didn't listen to it, and in fairness it was total bull************************ anyway.

But I'd support a multi-faith religon class as a compromise.

[meriwether]

Lets reflect on the first line of the opening post: "more than 90% of primary schools are run by the Catholic church.."

Lets give the church a little credit for providing an education system. They were providing basic services in this state before we even had a state, or the state was able to provide them. If you dont like religion in schools, send your children to a non-denom, or educate them at home. If the church runs a school. its perfectly entitled to teach its ethos.

[ocean]

If you dont like religion in schools, send your children to a non-denom, or educate them at home. If the church runs a school. its perfectly entitled to teach its ethos.

That would be fine if it weren't for the fact that these schools are built with taxpayers money, maintained by taxpayers money and staffed by teachers whose salaries are paid with taxpayers money.

The state funds every school, but is severly limited in the the contol it actually exercises over how they are run.

For example, each school can at it's discretion refuse admission to a kid on the basis of their religion. A pub would be hauled before the equality tribunal for that kind of behaviour!

In addition, most people don't have an Educate Together school in close proximity, and those Educate Together schools that do exist are even morte acutely over-subscribed than the church-managed ones.

[flakie]

and those Educate Together schools that do exist are even morte acutely over-subscribed than the church-managed ones.

It's true, and it is the loudest statement by the public about how they want their children educated.

Sadly, nobody is listening.

[cicero]

I think religion should be removed from schools altogether and replaced with sociology and philosophy. Children should be brought up to think outside the box and question things rather than simply be told to accept what they are told, religion included.